By Bramha Kumar
‘Vande Mataram’, which translates to ‘I Bow to Thee, Mother’, is regarded as the second most popular song in the world by a BBC survey in 2002 and is completing 150 years of its legacy on 7th November 2025.
After India’s freedom, Vande Mataram was declared India’s National Song on January 24, 1950 whereas Jana Gana Mana was accepted as National Anthem. The song shares the same status as the National Anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ barring certain official ceremonies.
Birth of a National Song
Vande Mataram was penned by legendary Bengali writer and novelist, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay on 7th November 1875. It first appeared in the literary journal Bangadarshan as part of his novel Ananda Matha in a serialised manner and later as a standalone book in 1882.
This was an important phase in Indian history after the first revolt against the British East India Company of 1857, major parts of Indian territories were under British control and a widespread imperialism was enhancing its burden on Indian people and also on Indian sentiments. Anand Matha was a novel based on a rebellion of common people (monks) against the British and a tyrannical local ruler.
Lyrics and Early Influence
The lyrics of the song in Sanskrit are as follows - “Vande mataram/ Sujalam suphalam malayajasitalam/ Sasyashyamalam mataram/ Vande mataram/ Shubhra jyotsna pulakita yaminim / Phulla kusumita Drumadalasobhinim / Suhasinim Sumadhura bhasinim / Sukhadam varadam/ mataram/ Vande mataram” The power packed verses had profound effect on the psyche of contemporary nationalists who assimilated the patriotic vibes.
Revolutionary Symbolism
The phrase ‘Vande Mataram’ itself was the mantra of Indian revolutionaries and nationalist leaders during the country’s struggle for freedom. It enthused numerous young men and women who fell into the patriotic sentiments of the time, dedicating their spirits in service of their Motherland. Revolutionary turned spiritualist Aurobindo Ghosh termed it the ‘Anthem of Bengal’ and rendered the English translation titled ‘I bow to thee, Mother’ which was appeared in the weekly periodical Karmayogin on November 20, 1909.
English Translation by Aurobindo Ghosh
Translation of the first two verses is as follows –
“Mother, I bow to thee!
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
bright with orchard gleams,
Cool with thy winds of delight,
Dark fields waving Mother of might,
Mother free.
Glory of moonlight dreams,
Over thy branches and lordly streams,
Clad in thy blossoming trees,
Mother, giver of ease
Laughing low and sweet!
Mother I kiss thy feet,
Speaker sweet and low!
Related Stories
Mother, to thee I bow.”
Rise of Political Significance
The song Vande Mataram first gained political significance when Rabindranath Tagore, a Nobel laureate in Literature, sang it to his own tune during the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress in Calcutta, arousing the nationalist spirit hidden in its lyrics. Its revolutionary appeal deepened when the British colonial government banned both the song and the novel Anandmath, making their use punishable by imprisonment.
Bengal Partition and the Swadeshi Turning Point
The song truly came to life and became a source of inspiration for political activists and freedom fighters when revolutionaries adopted Vande Mataram as their rallying cry to protest the British decision to partition Bengal in October 1905 into East Bengal and West Bengal on religious lines, sowing the seeds of communalism in India.
The outward argument in favour of this was administrative consideration, lightening the administrative burden upon Bengal. But the real motive was to curb the growth of national feeling in the politically advanced Bengal by driving a wedge between the Bengali speaking Hindus and the Muslims and destroying the solidarity of 78 million Bengalis by dividing them into two blocks.
It was a master plan of Viceroy Curzon to destroy the nascent nationalism of which Bengal had become the nerve centre. The partitioning of the homogeneous Bengali speaking area led to outburst of public indignation all over Bengal. It was opposed by the various sections of the society. The officials, the educated people and the Muslim peasantry of Bengal condemned the partition of Bengal from the outset.
The Bengal provincial conference of the Indian National Congress (INC) at Barisal on April 14, 1906 burned an effigy of Lord Curzon (the then Governor General of India) in protest and the crowd repeatedly chanted Vande Mataram.
The patriotic fervour the mantra generated was carried higher by Aurobindo Ghosh’s translation and the song “now leaped out of its comparative obscurity within the covers of a Bengali novel and in one sweep found itself on the lips of every Indian man, woman or child”, as observed by Sister Nivedita.
Young revolutionaries, charged up with patriotic enthusiasm, carried out daring acts of terrorism and faced the gallows with cries of Vande Mataram on their lips. Later, after 1915, rendition of Vande Mataram in every INC session became mandatory.
The partition of Bengal was a turning point not only in the history of Bengal but also for Indian freedom struggle. Intense nationalistic feelings created a wave of wave of protests across India.
Spread of the Swadeshi Movement Across India
It also gave birth to India’s first public movement against the British with launch of the Swadeshi (Indigenous) Movement on 7th August 1905. The boycott (of foreign goods) resolution was passed to show protest against the partition and to bring economic pressure on the British government and British factories.
Moving away from the land of Bengal, the Swadeshi movement grew in strength under the leadership of different leaders. Bala Gangadhar Tilak took the movement to different parts of India, particularly in Poona and Bombay and his famous epigram “Swaraj (self-government) is my birth right and I will have it” had revolutionized the movement.
The leaders in Punjab included Lala Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh; while in Madras, Chidambaram Pillai made tours for the cause. Bipin Chandra Pal’s tour of Madras Presidency and Aurobindo Ghosh’s efforts gave impetus to the movement.
The Calcutta session of the Congress, held from 26 to 29 December 1908 under the Presidentship of Dadabhai Naoroji, adopted the Vande Mataram song as the National song of India and the Swaraj or selfgovernment (HomeRule) as its goal.
Adoption as National Song
The British government, as expected responded with brutal suppression of nationalist activities throughout India. But it gave more ammunition to extremist activities throughout India. Finally, the British government had to bring the annulment of the partition of Bengal in 1911. With this, the Swadeshi movement subsided but to take a new form under the title of the Home Rule Movement launched by Annie Besant.
Indian revolutionary, mystic and yogi, Aurobindo Ghosh in his ‘Mahayogi’ underlines the significance of the song by saying, “Vande Mataram was an expression of nationalism. It quickly spread throughout India and was on the lips of millions”.
Legacy in the Freedom Struggle
Thus, Vande Mataram through the Swadeshi movement was able to create a greater national consciousness among the people and India was politically ready to have new experience of mass mobilisation experiments of Mahatma Gandhi who returned to India in January 1915 after successful Satyagraha experiences in South Africa.
Throughout the Indian National Freedom Struggle, Vande Mataram remained at the central stage of every nationalistic activity and also made a permanent place in the hearts of every patriotic Indian further sanctified by the countless martyrs who were dedicated their life and soul at the altar of the Motherland in a quest to attain freedom.
Enduring Significance
Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the President of the Constituent Assembly said, “The song Vande Mataram, which has played a historic part in the struggle for Indian freedom, shall be honoured equally with Jana Gana Mana (the National Anthem) and shall have equal status with it.”
Sh.Bramha Kumar is the Indian ambassador to Zimbabwe
Leave Comments